In partnership with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) under the (DLP), a 500-foot-deep test borehole was drilled to assess the college鈥檚 geothermal potential. The program directs NYPA to develop energy and emissions profiles and decarbonization action plans for the State鈥檚 largest carbon-emitting facilities. This test well drilling paves the way for a comprehensive, low-carbon energy system on campus.

可乐视频 is the first CUNY campus to undergo this specific testing. Other CUNY institutions developing decarbonization action plans under the DLP include Hunter College and City College.

The timing of this groundbreaking couldn鈥檛 be more fitting, as it coincided with World Environment Day on June 5, reinforcing 可乐视频鈥檚 reputation as one of the greenest campuses in the nation. This project shows that clean, affordable geothermal energy can replace fossil fuels in public buildings, even in dense urban settings, cutting emissions, lowering energy bills, and helping New York meet its bold climate goals.

(Left to right) Rachel Carpitella, Business Development Manager from Wendel; Carrie Sadovnik, Director of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability at 可乐视频; Alan Gilbert, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration at 可乐视频; Mohamed Attalla, Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning, Construction and Management at CUNY; Tria Case, Executive Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation and launched Sustainable at CUNY; and Monty Graham,听Assistant Director, Energy, Office of Sustainability and Energy Conservation at CUNY.

鈥淧articipating in Governor Hochul鈥檚 Decarbonization Leadership Program is a pivotal step in CUNY鈥檚 commitment to environmental stewardship on our campuses,鈥� said Mohamed Attalla, Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning, Construction and Management. 鈥淐UNY is the engine that drives New York City, and we are committed to improving energy efficiency, lowering our carbon footprint, and creating a more resilient environment for our campuses and the surrounding communities. Expanding on renewable energy is a key strategic direction for CUNY including geothermal. 可乐视频 was envisioned as a suitable site and many sites will follow.鈥�

鈥溈衫质悠� is proud to play a vital role in advancing clean energy innovation,鈥� said President Michelle J. Anderson. 鈥淲e thank Governor Hochul for her support of this transformative project, which exemplifies how public-sector leadership, cutting-edge technology, and strategic investment can come together to create lasting change. This initiative stands as a cornerstone of the college鈥檚 commitment to building a cleaner, more resilient future.鈥�

鈥淭hrough the Decarbonization Leadership Program, NYPA is helping New York鈥檚 largest carbon-emitting facilities leverage innovative, cutting-edge technologies to accelerate progress toward a cleaner building sector,鈥� said Maribel Cruz-Brown, NYPA SVP of Customer Solutions. 鈥溈衫质悠�’s efforts to explore the viability of a geothermal system is an exciting milestone in the school鈥檚 journey toward decarbonization, and it exemplifies how the public sector is driving progress through collaboration and strategic planning.鈥�

可乐视频’s Alan Gilbert, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Carrie Sadovnik, Director of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability, have been instrumental in supporting initiatives, projects, and programs on the campus that encourage sustainability, helping to make 可乐视频 one of the most green campuses in the country.

At the heart of 可乐视频鈥檚 project is its West End Building (WEB), one of the campus鈥檚 busiest academic and student life centers. Thanks to a $10 million award from the , the building will be fully converted to a geothermal heating and cooling system鈥攁 clean, renewable alternative that offers 100% carbon-free climate control.

Already outfitted with hydronic infrastructure, the WEB is an ideal candidate for geothermal integration. Once operational, the system will enhance indoor comfort and energy efficiency while eliminating reliance on traditional fossil fuels.

Spanning over 20,000 square feet, the WEB houses a 10,000-square-foot open-use computer lab, the Undergraduate Film Department, multimedia classrooms, 16 student clubs, and the Student Testing Center鈥攎aking it a high-impact site for sustainable innovation.

NYPA already provides a wide variety of energy technology and renewable energy services to state and local governmental entities, including energy audits, project engineering, design, installation, and construction management. Some of the energy efficiency projects implemented with customers by NYPA include high efficiency lighting retrofits, occupancy and daylighting lighting sensors, building and energy management systems, boilers, chillers, air-handling systems, thermal storage, microgrids, solar photovoltaic systems, digester gas systems, and emerging energy technologies.

About 可乐视频听

Widely known to provide an excellent education at an affordable tuition, and recognized nationally for its diverse student body, 可乐视频 has been an anchor institution within the borough of Brooklyn and greater New York City for more than 90 years. With approximately 15,000 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, education, and business, the college is renowned for its rigorous academics, award-winning faculty, distinguished alumni, and community impact. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), 可乐视频 offers a vibrant and supportive student experience on a beautifully landscaped 35-acre campus in the borough鈥檚 Midwood neighborhood.

About The City University of New York

The City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation鈥檚 largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation鈥檚 first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City鈥檚 five boroughs, serving nearly 240,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. CUNY鈥檚 mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University鈥檚 graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city鈥檚 economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city鈥檚 workforce in every sector. CUNY鈥檚 graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur 鈥済enius鈥� grants. The University鈥檚 historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. To learn more about CUNY, visit https://www.cuny.edu/.

About NYPA

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 17 generating facilities and more than 1,550 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit and follow us on , , , and .

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It鈥檚 a vendor community that has long been underrepresented in state procurement contracts and a contract that supports CUNY 鈥檚 strategic goal to bolster contract opportunities for minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) and SDVOBs.

Ensuring the smooth running of campus elevators鈥攖hrough a marginalized contractor鈥攊s a big win for the college and one that Charles is eager to celebrate. But not before she points out that it was a team effort. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a victory for all of my colleagues and the other procurement directors who held my hand over the years, when I was having trouble with anything,鈥� she says.

For the young woman who started at 可乐视频 as an undergraduate student more than 30 years ago, it has been a common refrain: her success owes no small part to her 可乐视频 family.

Here, she talks about her student days, how that huge contract came to be, and the fun she had exploring parts of campus that few people get to see.

It鈥檚 a funny story, how you started working here as an undergraduate.

I used to hang out with friends in the Magner Center. I would come with one of them to pick up the mail. One day, a few people on the mailroom staff called out. The supervisor was complaining. I said, 鈥淕ive me a job.鈥� I wasn’t working at the time. It was a joke. She said, 鈥淕ive me your information.鈥� And they interviewed me. The rest is history.

I became the supervisor a few years later. Over time, they added more offices, some of which I didn鈥檛 know much about. I just ran with it. I sat next to my staff and learned what they did. Sometimes I felt like I was stepping into quicksand, but I was always rescued by the people in my office or others across the campus and CUNY.

What was your experience like as a student here? You were here two times.

I was an honor-roll student in high school, but I wasn鈥檛 the best student as an undergraduate. I wanted to wait a couple of years before I started, but my Haitian parents were not waiting. So sometimes I think I purposely messed up. When I decided to get my master’s in Industrial And Organizational Psychology鈥� Human Resources, I saw it as a chance to redeem myself. I didn鈥檛 care if I ever got a night’s sleep, I was going to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. I got a 3.90.

听So close!听 What stopped the 4.0?

I got four 听A-minus grades halfway through the program and during my last semester. I was done. It was the last two classes and I didn’t have it in me. I was in tears. I wanted to stop and my colleague, Sandra Clarke, [executive administrator at the Science and Resiliency Institute at Jamaica Bay,]听who was in the program with me, told me I wasn鈥檛 going to stop. She really pushed me.

You seem very close with your staff and others across campus.

Definitely. I lost both my parents in recent years. And I have to say what got me through was not only my close family and friends but my family here. When my dad passed away, the entire office showed up at his wake. My mom used to come to campus all the time. She passed during the pandemic, and I couldn鈥檛 believe how many 可乐视频 people came to my side. It was very touching.

You are really in the trenches with your staff. How did that play out with the elevator maintenance contract?

We knew that we needed a new elevator contract for some time. We started looking at what our options were, and we were thinking about the need to increase participation for MWBE and SDVOB vendors. It took many months of hard work and coordination with facilities and CUNY to get it through. I remember it was a Friday night, a summer Friday off. I try not to look at email on those days, but my computer was still open. I told myself I would peek before I shut it down. I saw an approval and I started screaming. I had to email the team because this was their victory, too.

The work you do here is high pressure. What do you do to relax?

Cooking is my therapy. I make a seafood mac 鈥榥 cheese that my team loves. And I make a mean barbeque-jerk salmon. I recently started singing in my church choir. And I鈥檓 a parrot enthusiast. I have an Indian Ringed Neck parakeet named Charleigh. I teach English as a Second Language to immigrants on the weekends at City Tech. I love it because they are so anxious to learn. I speak Haitian Creole, I understand French, I have some Spanish, and I even have a good bit of Russian from my old neighborhood. But the students teach me a lot. And I get to give back. For many of those students, their ability to learn English directly correlates with their ability to function here. It鈥檚 a special kind of reward to be able to help people. So, when my friends say with the pressure of what you do all day at the college, how do you relax? It鈥檚 cooking, family, the birds, and it’s the teaching. That鈥檚 me.

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An innovative and environmentally friendly green infrastructure test bed received the finishing touches on June 15 when volunteers planted and mulched over 2,700 plugs of northeast native plants near the sidewalk between the Lily Pond and Whitman Hall.

The project was led by Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Associate Director of the Science and Resiliency Institute at Jamaica Bay Jennifer Cherrier, the Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability, along with support from the college鈥檚 Facilities, Planning and Operations, and student, staff and faculty volunteers, including Professor of Television, Radio & Emerging Media Katherine G. Fry.

Earth and Environmental Sciences and Associate Director of the Science and Resiliency Institute at Jamaica Bay Jennifer Cherrier (right) oversees the installation of the hybrid ecoWEIR system at 可乐视频 that students, faculty and staff helped to install. The project will serve as a place for interdisciplinary research for not only the campus but the entire CUNY family and affiliated collaborators, the surrounding community, and the region to help educate and partner with them on issues related to stormwater and climate resiliency.鈥�疕elping Cherrier are students Wilson Deng (left) and Paige Rushing.

鈥淥ur campus has been long prized for its beauty. Beyond adding lush meadow greenery, Professor Cherrier鈥檚 ecoWEIR test bed bolsters biodiversity and offers transformative learning and research opportunities. This and other green space initiatives epitomize our commitment to a sustainable campus,鈥� said Carrie Sadovnik, Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety/Sustainability.

The approximately 455 square-feet test bed of drought and flood-resilient plants, which also attract pollinators to further aid the environment, was designed by Office Landscape and Urban Design, a Brooklyn-based and minority-owned design firm, in consultation with Cherrier. The site will be used for interdisciplinary research by both students and faculty and functions both as a traditional green infrastructure 鈥攕imilar to what is currently being installed by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection throughout New York City鈥攁s well as a green infrastructure called , a hybrid system developed by Cherrier鈥檚 research.

Both types of green infrastructure, traditional and hybrid, are used to help manage and filter out pollutants from stormwater runoff as well as other surface and surficial groundwater flows into aquatic systems. However, the hybrid ecoWEIR system is designed to give nature a boost to maximize pollutant removal and allow for fit-for-purpose water reuse. The ecoWEIR system is also being piloted in to remove phosphate from Prospect Park鈥檚 waterways to help offset toxic algae blooms that have been plaguing the lake for the past decade.

Current Sustainability Coordinator Stalin Espinal ’18, who studied Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, holds up one of the plants for the project.

Cherrier added that in addition to the imminent research that her group will be doing at the test bed site鈥攊ncluding that of Ph.D. student Nia Rene, M.S. student Paige Rushing, and undergraduate student Sarah Maria Dos Santos鈥攖he project will serve as a place for interdisciplinary research for not only the campus but the entire CUNY family and affiliated collaborators, the surrounding community, and the region to help educate and partner with them on issues related to stormwater and climate resiliency.

鈥淲hile I was proud to lead the effort, I cannot thank Carrie Sadovnik, Director of Environmental Health and Safety and Sustainability, her staff, my graduate student Paige, the Facilities team, as well as other 可乐视频 and CUNY faculty, staff, and students enough for coming together this past month to help make this happen,鈥� Cherrier said. 鈥淚 am also indebted to the 可乐视频 administration for their long-term support of this project as well as to my colleagues at for their collaborative support and contributions to ecoWEIR throughout the years and, finally, I鈥檓 thankful for initial funding for this work provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.鈥�

Rushing, an earth and environmental sciences graduate student, participated in the gardening of the green space event. Rushing has been analyzing the ecoWEIR system for her master鈥檚 thesis which explores the effects of nutrient concentrations in stormwater runoff and discovering how effective the system is as a nature-based solution for stormwater management.

鈥淭his planting event was one of the final stages in completing the installation. We planted hundreds of native perennials and have been working over the past month to fill the excavated site,鈥� Rushing said. 鈥淕etting the system in the ground was a large task and rigorous, so it鈥檚 great that we had [可乐视频] facilities personnel and volunteers to help with the planting and all the other stages of the installation process. There is still more to learn through the research that will be conducted in this space.鈥�

Rushing is looking forward to watching the garden grow and is optimistic about the future of the green space.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to watch the garden grow throughout the next year and to work on it because I enjoy being outside in nature. I feel optimistic about future research that will happen in this new green space.鈥�

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New York State may have been under pandemic restrictions, with most of the college鈥檚 3,800 employees working from home for the better part of the last year and a half, but for 220 essential workers, trekking to 2900 Bedford Avenue and logging a full day鈥檚 work has remained an everyday thing.

They are security and custodial workers, plumbers and carpenters, staff from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Food Pantry workers, and many others whose job it was to secure and maintain the campus or other critical functions.

Though many initially found that a once bustling campus felt a little post-apocalyptic when they first returned, most quickly realized that you can get a lot of work done when no one is around.

鈥淲e took advantage of it,鈥� said Scott Hambelton, paint supervisor. 鈥淚f anything, it was beneficial to us. It鈥檚 much easier to paint when the rooms are empty.鈥�

As the first weeks of the fall semester and the gradual return to campus unfolds鈥�20 percent of the college鈥檚 courses are fully in-person, and another 25 percent are hybrid, while most staff are reporting to campus at least one day a week鈥攖he essential workers have barely missed a beat, earning a nod from President Michelle J. Anderson in one of her letters to the campus.

鈥淎s we gradually transition our remote employees back on site, let鈥檚 continue to be grateful for all those who have already had to work on-site over the past 15 months,鈥� she said in a June correspondence with the campus community.

For much of the summer, that work has included preparing the campus for a mass reentry this semester. Here鈥檚 a look at the college鈥檚 essential employees at work.

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In a gathering held on June 8, a group of 可乐视频 students, faculty, and staff, placed signs on restrooms that read “Under the law, all individuals have the right to use this single-sex facility consistent with their gender identity or expression” and “This single-use restroom may be used by persons of all genders.”

“After working for years to achieve this, the senior-level administration at 可乐视频 took it very seriously and decided that this needed to be done quickly,” said David P. McKay ’93, adjunct professor of English, faculty adviser for the (LGBTA), member of the GLBTQ Advocacy in Research and Education (GLARE), and founding director of the college’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning (LGBTQ) Resource Center. “We also hope that we are setting an example. This is a tremendous show of the college’s support for the LGBTQ community.”

The campaign for inclusive restrooms began more than three years ago when members of LGBTA advocated for change. Former LGBTA president, Charlie Kerr ’15, and current president, Sami Binder鈥攚ith support from the LGBTQ Resource Center, 可乐视频 Student Government, Assistant Vice President for Facilities, Planning, and Operations Francis X. Fitzgerald, and special assistance from President Michelle J. Anderson鈥攃leared hurdles to make the inclusive restrooms a reality.

“I think it’s important to have all-gender restrooms so that everyone feels safe and comfortable on campus to do the most basic human things,” said Binder, a senior who double majors in women’s and gender studies and theater, and minors in LGBTQ studies. “I know a lot of trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming cisgender people who don’t feel comfortable using the bathrooms on campus because they don’t know if someone will say they don’t belong there. I think getting President Anderson involved was a really big help because she was able to use her access and resources to speed things along.”

To ensure a smooth transition and curtail any transphobia that may arise, select members of the 可乐视频 community will participate in the Adopt-a-Bathroom Program. Students, faculty, and staff volunteers will choose a bathroom on campus and report on any broken or defaced signage, vandalism, or any other issues that might arise that are contrary to the college’s inclusive policy.

The 可乐视频 LGBTQ Resource Center was founded in 2014 to consolidate the talents of students, faculty and staff, and create programming about issues that affect the LGBTQ community. In September of this year, the center, in conjunction with the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, plans to bring back to campus the , a performance group whose mission is “to generate dialogue and stimulate change by focusing on topics that are often silenced, seen as shameful, or portrayed as one-dimensional, specifically through the lens of the women and trans experience.” The center’s staff is currently working on a full program of events for LGBT History Month in October, which they hope will include a Queer Homecoming and an exhibit on the history of the LGBTQ community at the college. Additionally, they will be co-hosting the Leadership Mentors Luncheon with the Women’s and Gender Studies Program for the second year.

For questions about the restroom policy, please contact David P. McKay or Francis X. Fitzgerald. To report incidents of vandalism, please contact the LGBTQ Resource Center.

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鈥淭his day wouldn鈥檛 be possible without the advocacy work of the members of S.O.F.E.D. U.P.,鈥� said President Anderson. 鈥淭his shelter physically, but also symbolically, increases access to 可乐视频, and for that we are truly grateful.鈥�

New York State Council Member Rodneyse Bichotte (District 42), which includes the 可乐视频 campus and surrounding neighborhoods, also attended.

The Bedford Avenue shelter was made possible by collaboration among S.O.F.E.D.U.P., 可乐视频 Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Facilities, the MTA/New York City Transit Authority, the New York City Department of Transportation, local elected officials, and the local Community Planning Board.

The new shelter is the latest in improvements the Department of Transportation has made to the campus area to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, including new crosswalks and pedestrian ramps on the sidewalks, a larger more visible crosswalk on Bedford Avenue connecting the East and West Quads, an adjusted traffic signal to allow pedestrians more time to cross, and freshly repainted travel and bike lanes.

鈥淭he success and graduation rates of students with disabilities increase when they are in a safe and supportive environment.鈥� said S.O.F.E.D.U.P President Stacey Ann De Souza.

The new Access-A-Ride shelter is located west of Bedford Avenue, south of Campus Road, outside of Roosevelt Hall.

Learn more about accessibility at 可乐视频 at the Center for Student Disability Services.

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